I’ve been a little moody these days, mostly because I’ve been shoving my face with sugar and awful-but-delicious treats, and I keep saying overly dramatic things like “WHAT DOES IT ALLLLLLL MEEEEEEEEAAAAAAN?” Well, okay, I’m not being that dramatic, but I have felt prone to reflect on how fast 2012 went by, which of course means I wonder if I actually accomplished anything.

The truth is: This has been a BIG year for me.

I forced myself to think back and really wrap my brain around all the great stuff that has happened, and I am so SO happy that I did. Any sugar related melancholy has all but been replaced by a feeling of extreme gratitude for everything I have packed in to the last 350+ days. 2012 has was a year full of challenges, surprises, accomplishments and most importantly SO MUCH FUN, so I thought I’d share some of the best moments.

Despite getting off to a somewhat embarrassing start, I still have so much love for this phone. I can’t imagine how I ever lived without it. Frankly it made this entire post possible, because every single photo was taken with it.

I stepped out of my comfort zone and participated in a local filmmaker’s project about Paleo. But what if I sounded stupid? But what if I looked lame? But what if my house isn’t decorated right or clean enough? But what if I have no idea what I’m talking about? But what if I just TRIED IT AND SAW WHAT HAPPENED? And what happened was I met some great folks and clarified my commitment to share my own story whenever the opportunity arose.

We took a road trip to visit one of my BFFs in February and had such a wonderful time. It was an epic weekend, actually and probably needs to happen again soon. Time spent with good friends is always worth the investment.

This book was the most entertaining, adventurous, when-can-I-get-back-to-it, page-turning book I read this year. It wasn’t life changing, but it was just so much fun!

I’m so grateful that Garrett + I continued CrossFit this year. Not only has it been great for both of us individually, but it strengthened our relationship during a really tough year. Having hobbies that we enjoy together is something I hope we continue for the rest of our lives.

We went to a number of weddings this year and enjoyed them all, but for Garrett this was the first year he has ever been a Best Man and he completely nailed it, giving a loving and heartfelt speech for his best friend and his awesome wife.

One of the things that blogging has brought me is an awesomegroup oflocalladyfriends who I might never have met otherwise. This year we all made an effort to regularly get together for brunch, booze and gossip and it is something I feel so grateful for. Smart, supportive lady-friends? There’s not too much better than that.

We took a hike down in Marin County with friends and the view from the top was completely worth it to our weary legs. Getting outside to exercise was something Garrett + I did more this year than any other year and it was AWESOME. This will be continued.

We spent a summer weekend up in Lake Tahoe cheering on our athletes from our CrossFit box at a fun competition. Even though I’m just there taking pictures and screaming loudly, I always feel inspired when I leave a competitive event. I’m not in a season of life where competing is something I could do, but I’ll tell you what, it reminds me that I can always push myself a little harder and get a little better result.

We had a ton of fun celebrating the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games (GEEK OUT!) with traditional British pub food. We cooked up some Scotch Eggs and some Shepherd’s Pie and cheered on Team USA this summer.

I had been Paleo for 2 years before reading this book yet I found it so packed full of useful information I have now read it more than once. It also gave us the courage this year to try our first Whole 30 in August, which has (no exaggeration) been life changing. During our next Whole 30 I plan to share some of the nuggets that were the most illuminating to me after all this time, but if you are on the fence about picking this up: DO IT! I think knowing the WHYs behind the Whole 30 are really important for success.

This year we only planted a summer garden and even that didn’t do too great. We did end up with a lot of late season tomatoes though, so it wasn’t a total bust. I promise this every year, but I mean it this time: 2013 will be the year of multiple gardening seasons! Mark my word!

Um…you knew Buster would show up, right? I mean, obviously. The way Buster came into our lives is one of the many things that happened this year that felt like divine intervention. There’s really not much else to say about our days with Buster except that they have truly, so far, been THE BEST.

(Original Photo Credit: Dave Humphreys)

About 5 years ago I heard a woman speak about how veganism had transformed her life. Her passion was absolutely contagious and despite veganism ultimately not being the path for me, I remember thinking, “How awesome of a job would it be to get paid to speak from your heart about something so transformative?” This year I got to do exactly that, and while I was up in the gorgeous mountains of Colorado I realized that I had manifested something that had once been a fleeting “I wish” thought into Actual Real Life. That was one of the more powerful moments of my year. To everyone who organized, participated, attended or supported that event, I thank you from the absolute bottom of my heart.

The older I get, the more committed I become to having experiences than having things. My ideal day out? Good company, a good meal, good wine and absolutely nowhere to be. I turned 34 this year, and despite the back and forth that is constantly happening in my brain of “are you doing enough?” (which at this point is just background noise :)) I am by far the happiest I have ever been. My 30s have been good so far.

I have put a lot of pressure on myself at the end of the year because I keep feeling like I didn’t make any huge fitness strides. And then I remind myself YOU RAN YOUR FIRST HALF MARATHON, you idiot! How quickly we forget. I am really proud of that accomplishment, but more important than crossing the finish line, I feel like it opened up a whole new world of fitness to me. I have to remind myself that you can not be the fastest runner, heaviest lifter, best business woman, most amazing girlfriend/daughter/family member, awesomest house cleaner and most creative genius ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Everything has its season. The end of this year was for my running goals and for some recovery. Can’t wait to see what next year holds, fitness-wise.

My Facebook feed is sure glad that election is over.

I think that picture says enough.

*****

I want to thank each and every one of you who take the time to keep up with this site. The fact that you come back here to read, offer advice, interact, or share a laugh is a huge gift in my life and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t feel grateful for the opportunity to share here. I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday, and I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings for all of us!